Not sure why you don't think yew or box belong on this list. What am I missing? Yew is preeminently usable for what you suggest. It will easily handle full sun too, if that's your concern, at least where I live. Privet, though a boring plant in most respects, also will work well for shearing. What you're after, besides a given plant species' ability to grow and thrive in your area are small to tiny foliage dimensions and the ability to resprout along stems. I'd also recommend hemlock if not for your location-in the very center of HWA infestation (hemlock wooly adelgid).

Let's see, what else? Arborvitae can be treated via shearing. Not my favorite way of using the plant, but it is suitable for shearing. I'm sure there's more I'm not thinking of at this early hour!

+oM

Thanks for the quick response. I have read that yew prefer a less exposed area, moister soil and will windburn. I should have added that I have deer/rabbit pressure ( thus no arborvitae around here).

Yews will windburn under certain conditions during winter/early spring. But they will also bounce back from that with relative ease. I should think the harsh winter winds we get here in WI would be a far greater test than your mid-Atlantic climate. Yet yews are everywhere, too much so in fact!

+oM

If deer are a problem, they will go after the yews. Box seems to be one of the few evergreens they avoid, but it does windburn. Of things mentioned so far, privet is the winner.

Where in the Mid-Atlantic? City, zone? Maryland (?) encompasses at least two zones -- from Mountains to Coastal Plain.

And how much maintenance (pruning) are you willing to do? Once a season? Three times a season?

These are all important issues.

Upper MD (Carroll Cty) Piedmont.
This would not be next to a walk where it would be viewed close up, although it faces the public side of my lot. It doesn't have to be groomed to the 9's. I've only grown informal shrub borders--all deciduous-- never a true mono plant formal hedge, so I've only done renewal pruning. I could probably get away with a 2x year pruning. I want something that sets off plantings in its vicinity--a green backdrop. Is there a non invasive privet? I don't know of one.

Perhaps Illex crenata or one of the other numerous Japanese Hollies would work? I like I. c., 'Convexa' because it takes to shearing very well and doesn't grow exceptionally fast. Seedlings for me are very rare, although branch rooting is fairly common if allowed to touch the ground. I started all my plants from cuttings.
Mike

Some to consider in an open zone 7a location:

Ilex opaca 'Satyr Hill' -- can be sheared. Very hardy. Deer are not particularly fond of it.

Viburnum 'Pragense' will need pruning several times a season. Gray-green foliage. Nice contrast to greener foliage of other plants. But they can handle shearing into tighter forms.

Ilex x meserve hollies - there are many different ones. Quite hardy. Blue Maid is especially nice, but rather slow growing.

Ilex 'Castle Wall' and 'Castle Spire', upright pyramid.

Ilex crenata 'Steeds' - upright pyramidal. Many other cultivars --

'Chesapeake', 'Convexa'

Ilex Fosters #2.

Ilex Oakleaf or Oakland -- can get to 14 feet tall in 7 years or so though.

Ilex Centennial Girl. hardier than Fosters, has leaf about same size.

Ilex 'Nellie Stevens' -- might winterburn in coldest years. Can get quite large though. Would need to shear once a years.

Buxus microphylla var. koreana 'Wintergreen'

Buxus x 'Green Mountain'

Thanks for the cultivar info. My zone is 6B, so would have to check against that.

Two things--I note there is a new cultivar of privet purported to be non-invasive called "Golden Ticket". Though the Jeff Goldblum character's remark in Jurassic Park-- "Nature finds a way" does come to mind... What about something like a shrubby Chamaecyparis hedge in these conditions? ( I keep going to the UK websites and looking at those lovely hedges, trying to find versions that will work here in my zone 6 Maryland conditions).

Make sure any boxwood you use will be resistant to boxwood blight. I don't know if Dave was taking that into consideration with the cultivars he listed.
Has anyone ever seen a hedge of Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Fastigiata'? I wonder if it would work. It's become a foundation-type shrub in the coastal northeast so I think the hardiness would be acceptable.
If this is really important to you, given your location, you should certainly consider seeing if Ladew Topiary Garden offers any mini-classes in hedge maintanence. It's not a far drive away from you.

What about a rose hedge? Carefree Wonder, Carefree Beauty, Belinda's Dream..... they're all pretty and repeat fast, and plus they can make your neigbors wonder.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2140132/mass-planting-of-carefree-wonder-amazing-spring-flush

I love rose hedges--have a small one started on a different area of my yard. And I have old deciduous shrub borders ( plus new overwintered pots to be planted this spring) for 3 season interest in the back. What I lack is anything slightly formal that can be used to give enclosure to a section of the exposed (to sun, weather and cul de sac neighbors) front yard, winter interest and a green backdrop for plantings. I think in the south they have many more options. So many broad leaved evergreens prefer pt sun or shade and want to be in a protected location. And there's conflicting opinions. It gets really hard since nothing hits all the criteria 100%.

Maybe Bridal Wreath Spirea - would need some pruning or knock out roses.

"It gets really hard since nothing hits all the criteria 100%."
Well, especially in our climate, the sort of sheared to perfection hedges you see in NW Europe are hard to achieve.
If I were making a formal hedge, topiary, or even hedge maze....yes I once had a crazy idea that a small one would be amusing...I'd probably go with an carefully selected clone of Ilex crenata, even though I otherwise don't like them. Even though some boxwoods are considered resistant, I wouldn't want to put a lot of work into something and find out 15 years down the road that it isn't. (though the normal planting of resistant cultivars is probably fine, I myself have a few that should be resistant) I seem to recall yew is mostly used at Ladew, but I think it's hard to get them to look perfect in our climate.
I wonder if Ilex crenata and Ilex vomitoria will cross...hmmmmmmm.

How long is this hedge?

I'm envisioning a semi- enclosed garden space demarcated by hedge in the
front yard which is my main planting area, given the lot shape. Long side getting the brunt of weather conditions and full sun would be approximately 80 feet.

Sujiwan, how much width do you have to work with? At the risk of boring my co-forumeers-I've mentioned this idea roughly twice per year for every year I've been here-regular 'Woodward Globe' arborvitae make an excellent screen or never-prune hedge, but will become quite massive in time. I once used an arc of these plants, set about six feet apart, to define the rear of my folk's yard. to say it worked well would be an understatement: Their patio sits a bit higher than where these plants were installed and with their subsequent growth, anyone sitting on that patio is completely screened from behind, but if one should like to see what's going on on the other side, he or she would simply stand up. These things are not done growing however, and will eventually most likely get tall enough to provide a complete screen. I think it key-if one were to adopt such a planting-to absolutely not get into shearing. They look best unsheared and certainly have sufficiently dense growth to perform their function. There are, of course, other similar cultivars and maybe one of those would work even better for you. The one caveat here remains the fact that in addition to height growth, these things are going to become quite wide.

+oM

If you are talking about overall circumference of plant or in the case of something sheared into rect/wedge, no more than 10 feet, less is preferred. Unfortunately--there are herds of neighborhood deer that will brazenly come through. I'd rather not attract them on a regular basis with favored food items like arborvitae. (I have varied arborvitae at my country house in the midst of rural deer country where people hunt. I have never had any deer problems there, but this rural exurb is a different kettle of fish). Plus, as mentioned earlier, I have those darned lines overhead so mature height of hedge would be an issue and influence the choices.

OK, yes, deer. Would not be a good choice then, although every now and then, there seem to be deer who are evidently unaware they are supposed to like this plant as a food source! I've got species Thuja o's at my tree plantation/woods and they never so much as touch the numerous offspring! Go figure. As to a ten-ft. width, that would encompass all but perhaps the most far-flung width requirements of the Woodward Globe. But too, you specifically want the sheared look, and at least with this plant, I'm advocating for not shearing it, so there too, maybe not your best choice.

+oM

For a 'hedge' that long, I'd mix it up a bit.

Plant larger pyramidals -- like Blue Maid hollies in a grouping of three, then a stretch of something lower (like Abelia), then another grouping of three, and so on.

Yeah, I was thinking of groupings as well.

At that point, you would have not so much a hedge but more of a shrub border. This is a good thing, and is a foundation of good landscaping all over the world-although hedges have their place too. But in the shrub border, at least in my conception, all the various species would not be treated the same, ie shearing-type pruning. In fact, probably none of them would receive that treatment, a variety of heading-back cuts, renewal pruning, etc. keeping things in good shape.

+om